Dark Series, The Color of Seven and The Color of Dusk (Books We Love Special Edition) (42 page)

“Past that. He’s past good, he’s brilliant. What I’d give to be able to do what he does.”

“You had the current training, you could. Lots of that is just modern science, you know. And equipment.”

“Not all of it. He’s a natural. He’s a healer. He was born to be a doctor.”

“Seems I’ve heard that said about him a time or two, yeah. Okay, I’ll call Mom but for God’s sakes don’t tell him you’re a groupie. Be sort of hard to explain how you’ve been watching.”

* * *

Ria never got a chance to call her mother. She and Paul ran into Don and Joyce Billings while grabbing a late meal at Denny’s that night. Don Billings was her father’s partner in his medical practice. Ria had managed to circumvent some serious repercussions with the law for their teenage son Dennis when he’d finally broken free of the influence of his so-called friend Justin Dinardo. Justin thought dealing drugs was the ultimate adventure in living large and pulled Dennis right into the ugly mess with him. Ria wasn’t surprised. She’d never liked or trusted Justin. When Dennis and Justin were small, she’d even refuse to babysit them together, much as she loved babysitting Dennis.

Joyce Billings defended her social status by explaining why they were in such a common restaurant as a Denny’s and not a more upscale eatery while running her eyes up and down Paul’s long frame. Ria knew her mother’d have a blow-by-blow description of him up to and including the shade of his hair by nine the next morning. So would every other social acquaintance Joyce or her mother had.

She was dialing her mother’s number the next morning when Liz Knight knocked perfunctorily on her office door and sat down with a frown.

“Really, Ria!” she exclaimed, settling herself into one of Ria’s client chairs. “I don’t expect you to give me a copy of your social calendar but it would have been nice to meet your new boyfriend before Joyce Billings did, of all people!”

No love was lost between the wives of the two doctors who formed Macon Neurology, P.C. Liz Knight was classy as a Rolls Royce, Joyce Billings as ostentatious as a pink Cadillac with chrome wheels. The two just didn’t mix well.

Ria groaned.

“I’m surprised she’d admit she was in Denny’s. Gave some big song and dance about Don’s horrible preference for common food. You should have seen the cheeseburger she was stuffing down! I don’t know how Dennis turned out as well as he did, now that’s he’s past his Justin rough spot.”

“I do. You. Then and now. You always were his little substitute mom. Now stop trying to sidetrack me, young lady.”

“You and Daddy stay so busy, Mom. I just hadn’t gotten around to introducing you yet. You didn’t have to rush down here to call me on the carpet, either, you could have called.”

“I did not rush down to call you on the carpet,” her mother sniffed. “I happen to have a hair appointment and I just stopped in to ask you why everybody in town, including Joyce Billings, has met your new boyfriend except Daddy and me.”

“Oh, c’mon, Mom! Everybody in town hasn’t met him.”

“Well, according to Joyce, you’ve been an item for the past three months.”

“That’s not so, I didn’t even meet him ‘till October.”

“Then aren’t you moving a little fast? Joyce says it’s obvious you’re just absolutely wild about each other and—”

“Joyce says? You’ve never believed one word Joyce Billings ever said and you’re starting now? You make it sound like we were making love on one of the tables or something, Miss fell-head-over-heels-in-love with a man 15 years older than you and married him in two months!” Her mother and father’s story was legendary in the annals of family history. Both of Ria’s maternal grandparents had nearly had heart attacks.

Her mother laughed. “And I’d do it all over again, too! And anyway, he was a doctor! Thought your grandmother was really goin’ to explode when I reminded her she always wanted her girls to marry
doctors!
”

Ria bit her lip. Wouldn’t be a good idea to share Paul’s true profession.

“How ‘bout I bring him to dinner tonight? Y’all goin’ to be home?”

“Great. What should I fix?”

“Like it matters? You’ve never cooked a bad meal in your life! Why do you think all the kids were always at our house when I was in high school?”

“Because you were a popular girl, of course!”

“Duh. That and your pizza.”

“Not pizza for an introductory dinner, though. I’ll stop in and get a nice roast to slow-cook all afternoon. That’ll work. Almost late, darlin’, got to go! See you tonight!” Her mother bounced up and out. Ria called after her.

“Mom!”

“What, sweetie?”

“I want to be just like you when I grow up.”

“Try real hard not to grow up, baby. Daddy and I never have. Being grown-up’s not near as much fun.”

* * *

Ria made certain to be showered and dressed before Paul arrived. They’d never make it on time if he found her in the shower. She was inserting her earrings when she saw him behind her in the mirror.

“Good eveennning.” He kissed the top of her head. “I take it we’re going out?”

“Good eveennning, Bela Lugosi. How nice of you to visit. If you want a shower, make it quick.”

“Not as much fun without you. Do I smell?”

“Like the crypt.”

“And where are we so obviously going?”

“My folks. Command performance.”

“Thought you didn’t have command performances.”

“Yeah, well, Joyce Billings, the lady we ran into last night—”

“Your father’s partner’s wife.”

“Right. She couldn’t wait to call my mother this morning and tell her all about you in glowing technicolor.”

“Ahh!”

“And my mother’s put out that, quote ‘everybody in town has met you except her’ unquote. Especially Joyce Billings. Mom’s not too fond of Joyce Billings.”

“I see.”

“So if you want to shower and change, hurry up.” A good portion of Paul’s wardrobe now resided in Ria’s closet.

“Do I really smell?”

“Like April Fresh Downy. Your clothes always did, even before you started washing them here. Always loved that about you, a vampire that stops to think about fabric softener.”

“Then hand me my most masculine smelling aftershave and I’ll be right with you.”

* * *

Ria pulled up in her parents’ driveway at precisely seven p.m.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be. My experience with parents—”

“I’ve seen your mother-in-law,” Ria said. “The house playbacks before I met you, remember? Anything’s a step up.”

Charles Knight threw the door open while they were still walking up and pulled her into an exuberant hug.

“Your mother’s pretty put out with you, young lady!” He offered his hand to Paul. “Pleased to meet you, young man. Charlie Knight.”

Paul shook.

“Paul Everett, Dr. Knight. I apologize for not insisting that Ria introduce us sooner. We didn’t mean to cause an international incident.”

“Oh, no harm done. She enjoys fussin’. C’mon in the house.” Dr. Knight knew this was no casual relationship. Ria could feel it. They’d always had a sixth sense between them.

“Okay, Liz, they’re here. Come inspect!”

“Charles!”

“Well, you know damn well that’s why you were so pissed! You didn’t get first announcement rights. So come out and inspect.”

Liz bustled out of her kitchen, cheeks flushed from the heat of the oven. Liz had aged well, which is to say, scarcely at all, and occasionally strangers took the mother and daughter for sisters.

“To inspect,” she confessed bluntly. “But you don’t need to announce it to the world.”

“So this is where you get your good looks!”

Ria grinned. Paul had learned the art of social byplay in a more gracious era.

“Well, thank you, Paul,” said Ria’s father. “I appreciate that.”

Liz punched his shoulder. Ria looked like both her parents but her coloring did make her resemblance to her father more pronounced.

“And your sense of humor,” said Paul, and Charles Knight laughed.

“Call it what it is, Paul. You mean warped sense of humor. And that’s gotten her into a lot of trouble over the years, too, right along with her father,” Liz said. “Dinner’s on the table.”

“Smells great, Mom,” Ria said, and moved toward the dining room. “C’mon, Paul.”

Dr. Knight’s cell phone rang as they sat down.

“You aren’t on call are you, Charlie?” Liz’s tone left no doubt she considered that a statement, not a question.

“Not officially,” he said. “’Scuse me a minute, folks.” He went out into the hall and came back in short order.

“Liz, throw some slices of roast in a couple of those biscuits for me please, so I can eat on the way.” He leaned over Ria’s chair and kissed the top of her head. “Sorry, baby, but—”

“Duty calls. What’s up, Daddy?”

“Charlie, tonight?” Liz protested.

“I know, but that was Kyle Herrington on the phone, car crash just came in, six year old with massive head trauma, can’t wait, we got to move.”

“There are other neurosurgeons in this town, you know.”

Even while protesting, Liz moved around the table, splitting biscuits and filling them with thick slices of roast.

“But they aren’t Daddy. If I was six years old and lying there, you’d want—”

“I know, I know!”

“Sorry to miss the get-together, Paul.”

“There’ll be other times, Dr. Knight.”

Paul looked longingly after him as he left. Ria knew he missed his own past interrupted dinners.

“Paul, I’m sorry this happened the first time we get to meet you,” Liz apologized.

“I think it’s wonderful. To know you’re going out in the night to save a child’s life, save her mind, knowing you have the skill to do that.”

Ria slipped her hand surreptitiously under the table and rested in on his knee in sympathy, feeling Paul’s envy.

They finished dinner and Paul spent the next two hours wooing Ria’s mother while she showed him Ria’s childhood through the family albums.

“You ought to be illegal,” she observed, as they drove back to the
Orange Street
house. “And why on earth did Mom think you’d want to look at my old baby pictures?”

“Because I did. Great night, darlin’. I had fun. Didn’t you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I did.”

Chapter Four

Ria woke abruptly. A ringing phone, shrill and insistent. She glanced at the pillow beside her. Paul was gone but the pillow still showed the indention of his head. Past sunrise, then, but not by much. She looked at the alarm clock as she grabbed the phone. Seven a.m. On a Saturday morning. Have mercy. She fumbled the receiver when she picked it up.

“Oh hell! I woke you up, didn’t I, baby?”

Ria sat straight up.

“Daddy, what’s the matter? Did you lose your little girl?” Dr. Knight was a professional. Professionals had to maintain detachment. Her father sucked at it, though. When he lost a patient, especially a child, it took him awhile to get his balance back. Time with Ria always seemed to help the balance return and had since her earliest memories.

“No, I didn’t. Got a long way to go, but I think she’ll be just fine.”

“Oh, I’m so glad.”

“Yeah, me too. And since your mother’s just left to drive up to
Atlanta
and go shopping with your Aunt Margaret, God help us all, I thought I’d see if you’d like to have breakfast with your old man.”

“You’ve been up all night?”

“Goes with the territory, baby.”

“Then come straight here and I’ll fix you breakfast.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“Daddy! You don’t intrude.”

“Listen, you know what I mean. I’m not blind and I’m not stupid. So if you’ve still got a house guest from last night, I don’t want to make either of you uncomfortable. I won’t come over and I don’t want you hauling him up and shoving him out the door on my account. Must be tireder than I thought, should’ve thought of it before I called but I just didn’t.”

“Paul’s not here, Daddy, really. So c’mon over.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

“Be there in a few.”

Ria pulled on her favorite robe and went to her kitchen. She plugged the waffle iron in to heat, and mixed a batch of batter. She heard a low buzz and her father’s voice came over the intercom system they’d installed during the remodeling process as the easiest way to handle visitors since the law offices were downstairs.

“Baby?”

“Come on up, Daddy.”

She hit the release button for the front door lock and went out to the stairs to meet him. He came inside and stopped. Immediately. Ria heard voices. Paul’s, mingled with Joshua’s.
Shit
. The house was in replay mode. It hadn’t done that since she’d met Paul. Then she remembered nobody could see the replays but her, so it was nothing to worry about. She started down the steps.